Pam Fedack

Central Central Station is embarking on an ambitious project, with the end goal of seeing a reduction in poverty in our community.

"We were able to see the poverty in our community and respond to some of those things. But, at some point we wanted to get to the where it was less about doing well at helping people who are living in poverty, and shifting to trying to figure out how we can make sure fewer people are living in poverty," said Executive Director Anita Wiebe.

The City of Winkler is making the most of Manitoba's summer construction season
    
Several projects are in full swing, including the long-awaited North Railway renewal. 

Mayor Henry Siemens says work on the stretch between Main Street and Highway 32 started at the beginning of June. So far, he says work is on track to be completed within five weeks.

After more than twenty years, the CEO of Access Credit Union says it was time for its downtown Winkler branch to get a refresh
    
Larry Davey says changes were needed, as the branch experience for members has evolved a lot over the years. He says the biggest thing they wanted to focus on was bringing in the light from outside, not only for the members when they come in, but also for the staff working ongoing.

United Way Pembina Valley has announced its 2024 youth scholarship winners.
    
The agency distributes three $1,000 scholarships annually to a graduate from each high school in Morden and Winkler who has demonstrated social awareness and leadership through volunteer service and involvement within the community.
    

Winkler Aquatic Centre Programmer, Brooke Thiessen says they're fortunate to have a well-rounded team of staff covering the needs around the facility this summer. She says they have some new lifeguards training, and they're also fortunate to have a lot of their old staff back.
    

On Friday, May 24th the Department of Education reached out to school divisions across Manitoba with news it was suspending the grade 12 English Language Arts Standards exam for the following week.
    
As a longtime educator, Garden Valley School Division (GVSD) Superintendent Dan Ward says he's never encountered a scenario like this.

Winkler's Citizen on Patrol Program plays an important role in being an extra set of eyes and ears in helping the Winkler Police Service keep our community safe.
    
Dustin Brown, Winkler's COPP Coordinator, has been with the COPP program in Winkler for 22 years.

The COPP program in Winkler is a joint partnership with the Winkler Chamber and Police Service. 

The City of Morden is again preparing to open the suncatch area for community events.
    
Mayor Nancy Penner says the area will be open from June 10th to August 19th.

The plaza is located between Appelt's Diamonds and the iconic clock tower building on 8th Street. Penner says it will be an inviting place to come into and enjoy many community events.

The rainfall event on the second last weekend of May which dropped a significant amount of precipitation over a short period in parts of the region, had many municipalities assessing their roads and infrastructure.
    
In the RM of Stanley, Reeve Ike Friesen says about 4 inches of rain fell, and did some damage. Friesen says it did not do as much damage as the slow rainfalls experienced earlier in the spring.

"It (slow rainfall) softened them up a lot, and we have them (roads) now to the point they're in good condition again." 

Anita Wiebe, the Executive Director of Central Station Community Centre in Winkler, says they continue to work on some new projects, and are working with different levels of government, to ensure they can put funding in place for more affordable housing units in the city.